Glorious Halo's Birth
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: How Durbe got his Number. (I'm guessing it's Mystery. Please tell me if you would place it elsewhere.)


**Zexal Oneshot:**

**Glorious Halo's Birth**

**Mystery**

**Durbe**

**How Durbe got his Number. **

**(I don't own Zexal. If I did, Glorious Halo might actually start talking and drive Durbe nuts.)**

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Glorious Halo's Birth

* * *

The Barian Emperors needed power. But not just any power. They needed the power of the Numbers. Without them, everything that they had been fighting for would be as good as lost. Their home, the Barian World, it would be gone, and would take them with it. They couldn't have that. They just couldn't.

Amazingly, in their time of fear and slight desperation, the crazy one in the Barian Emperors, Vector, actually had a sane idea. "We need to gain power that surpasses the Numbers," he said.

The leader of the Barians, Nasch, was the first to point out the flaw. "If we had that, we wouldn't be in this position, now would we?" he asked.

Misael, the dragon master, tapped his fingers on the crystal table where they all sat. "There is no such power in this world," he said. "If there was, the Astral beings would be trying to get it."

"The Astral beings haven't gone after it," Vector said, "because it hasn't been made yet."

Alit, the Battlin' Boxer duelist, eyed Vector like he would a victim to a one-sided duel. "Did you leave your brain in your bedroom again?" he asked.

"If it hasn't been made, then we can't get it," said Gilag, the warrior of the Barian World. "It's that simple."

"See?" Alit asked, jerking a thumb at Gilag. "He figured that out, and he's dumber than you."

"What was that, shorty?!" Gilag yelled, banging his hand against the table. Anybody who looked could see a very small, yet distinct, crack.

"Emperors!" the only female in the room raised her voice, scaring the arguing Barians into silence. Merag, the glue that held the Emperors together. It was little wonder that she was so intimidating. "That is enough! This is not the time to be quibbling." She turned to face Vector. "Vector, how do you propose we make this power? Like Gilag said, if it is not here, then we cannot acquire it."

"It is very simple, Merag-sama," Vector said, a slight sneer noted when speaking her name. The two Barians were never on the best of terms. "We go into the Barian Wastelands."

Every Barian at the table shot up like rockets. "Are you mad?!" Nasch asked, his voice barely contained. "The Wastelands are forbidden for a reason. The monsters out there simply can't be controlled. No Barian has ever come back alive!"

"Then the Emperors shall be the first," Vector said with a slight chuckle. "If we capture one of those beasts in this," he held up a blank Duel Monsters card; "their power will belong to us. Like you said, they can't be controlled. That makes them more powerful than the Numbers."

"In what way, Vector?!" Alit asked.

"The Numbers, when picked up by a human, are dangerous. When used by an Astral being, they are incredibly strong. But...they are weak when compared to those beasts that prowl the Wastelands. However, like you said, they can't be controlled. That's why I'm suggesting we capture them and force them to obey us."

"And if we fail?" Merag asked.

"Then I suppose the Wastelands gain another victim," Vector said simply.

"We can't risk that!" Alit yelled.

"I can," a small voice said.

Shield-like faces turned to face the only Barian that had remained silent throughout the meeting. Durbe. Unlike the other Barians, he lacked the shield-like section of his face, making him look more like the insane Vector. His wisteria skin and grey eyes and hair separated him from the winged madman. That, and his height made him look more like a child than a duelist. Vector never stopped teasing him about that. It wasn't his fault he was tiny. ←[About as tall as Alit.] Durbe gulped softly and looked up to the Barian Leader. "I'll do it," he said, trying to sound as determined as possible. "If I can capture one of those monsters, the rest of you can too."

"Durbe," Nasch said softly. He thought of the young Barian like a brother. The thought of sending him into the Barian Wastelands was about as pleasing as losing to Vector.

"That's actually an excellent idea, Durbe-kun," Vector said, obviously trying to keep himself from laughing.

Misael's eyes flashed as he slammed his palm onto the table. "Sending a child into the Wastelands?!" he asked. "Don't be ridiculous! He has almost no dueling skills and a small amount of Dueling Power. We send him in there, we'll be sending him to his doom."

"It's my decision, Misael-san!" Durbe said. "You're right, I don't have a lot of dueling skills and not much power. But...if I, the weak Barian, can do it, then all of you, the stronger ones, can do it too! I think it's worth the risk!"

Silence loomed over them all. "Durbe-kun," Alit said silently, turning his head away.

Nasch then walked up to Durbe and placed his hand on his shoulder. "If that is your decision," he said, "then I cannot deny it. Are you sure you know what you're doing? If you get stuck out there, you'll never get back out."

"I know," Durbe answered. "But I must do what I can to protect my world."

Merag couldn't help but 'smile.' "Looks like he's been taking lessons from a certain stubborn Barian," she teased.

Nasch gave her a single glare to silence her. Not that it had much effect.

* * *

The Barians stood outside one of the openings to the Wastelands. Durbe was wearing a grey cape and hood to protect himself from the winds that blew in the lands. A blank card was in his fingers. According to what Vector had told them, he was going to need it. He gulped as he turned to face his fellow Barians. Then, reaffirming his decision with a simple, "I'm going now," he jumped into the Barian Wastelands, not knowing whether or not he was going to return. Those that cared about him (Basically, everybody except Vector.) were hiding their fears and worry.

Durbe walked through the Wastelands with a great amount of effort. His small body made it very easy for the winds to blow through his body. His eyes couldn't make out anything past his nose, (If Barians actually **have** noses.) as the wind kicked up every loose grain of sand on the ground. He protected his face with his gloved hands, but all that did was lessen his vision even more. "Something tells me," he wondered aloud, "that the only monster out here is the sand. No wonder so many Barians got lost."

Suddenly, Durbe felt something grab his ankle and he lost his footing. He fell into the sand and looked at his assailant as best as he could. It was a creature with dark wings and a metal head. The force of its roar was enough to nearly bury Durbe in the sand. It was a dragon. Not to mention, a very **hungry** dragon. It lowered its head to get a better look at its meal. All Durbe was doing was shaking from head to toe. "G-Go away," he pleaded. "Please! Stay away from me!"

The dragon's eyes narrowed at Durbe and he raised his head. At first, Durbe assumed that the dragon was listening to him, but he soon found that he was wrong. One second, the monster opens his mouth, followed by Durbe screaming, the next second, everything went black.

* * *

Durbe felt no pain. He thought that the monster swallowed him whole. He soon found that it was just the opposite. "**Are you done shaking, child?"** a voice asked.

Suddenly curious, Durbe opened his eyes and raised his head. He wasn't dead. In fact, he was in the hands of a large knight in golden armor with wings attached to his helmet. Durbe's eyes widened in awe at the beast. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a squeak.

The knight looked at him curiously. Then he looked back at the dragon and stared it down. "**Leave, Galaxy-Eyes!"** he roared. "**Haven't you had enough of a snack?**"

"**You should know by now, fairy,**" the dragon said, "**no meal is enough to fill my stomach.**"

The dragon then lunged at the knight, who raised his hand as if to defend. Then suddenly, the dragon fell to its knees. "**You should know by now, imp,**" the knight said, "**anybody who dares to challenge me loses half their strength and all their power. You, of all people, can vouch for that."**

Durbe's eyes started to close as the knight took him to a place he didn't know.

* * *

"**It would be a wise decision to wake up now,**" the knight said.

Durbe's heavy eyes opened back up and he found himself in the knight's arms, the knight now standing closer to human size. (He is about 5'6.) The upper part of his mask had been cracked and broken, revealing soft, golden eyes staring Durbe to oblivion. "Where am I?" Durbe asked.

"**You are in my plane**," the knight answered, allowing Durbe to stand on his feet. "**Galaxy-Eyes thought you to be a pleasant meal. So I brought you here before my spell wore off.**"

"Your spell?" Durbe asked.

The knight then held a bow up to Durbe's face. "**Now, speak, Barian,**" he said. "**Who are you? I only spared you because I didn't relish the thought of watching Galaxy-Eyes eat again.**"

"My name is Durbe," the Barian answered simply.

The knight's eyes widened in surprise. "**Durbe, you say?**" he asked.

"Uh huh," went Durbe. "So what's your name?"

"**You do not remember me?**" the knight asked.

"I've never set foot in the Wastelands before in my life!" Durbe yelled in annoyance. "Do I look like I'd know you?"

The knight turned his head away. "Sorry for yelling," Durbe said softly. "So, what's your name?"

"**I was hoping you would tell me that,**" the knight responded, sitting down slowly.

"You don't have a name?" Durbe asked, tilting his head a little to the left in curiosity. "I didn't think that was possible."

**"****For me, it is,**" the knight said softly.

"Then how about I give you one?" Durbe suggested. "I came here to capture a monster of the Wastelands, but you look really nice. Wanna work with me?"

"**You came here to capture a monster?**"

"Yep," Durbe answered. "I need to so I can protect my world. And you...you seem familiar for some reason. I feel like I'd be able to work with you better than any other monster in the Wastelands." He didn't hear the words fly out of him. They had come before he had a chance to stop them.

"**In that case,"** the knight said, standing up again, "**I shall aid you, but only if you grant me a name. You won't be able to summon me without one, Durbe-sama.**"

"Just Durbe is fine," Durbe said. If he had a mouth, he would have smiled.

He held the card up for the knight to enter. The knight, knowing what he was to do, placed his hand on the card and began to fade. "**Nobody knows me better than you, Durbe-sama**," he said, the rest of his mask beginning to fall off.

"Huh?" went Durbe.

The face of the knight looked like that of an adolescent. His face was softer than an adult and his golden eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. The tuft of hair that Durbe was able to make out was a light grey, almost white. "**Watashi wa...,"** the knight continued, his face bringing out a soft smile. "**Watashi wa...ki- - -.**"

Then he entered the card before the rest of his sentence could complete itself.

Durbe looked at the picture. The knight's face was covered with his mask once again. His bow was pointing to the heavens and the number '102' had been painted onto his right wing. Durbe knew instantly what his name should be. "Nanbāzu Hyakuni" he said, pressing the card to his chest. "Hōrī Raitoningu Gurōriasu Heirō."*

The monster appeared behind him. The upper half of his mask was gone once again, but anybody could tell that he was smiling at his new master.

* * *

Durbe returned to his fellow Barians in a state slightly worse for wear. His cape was torn because of Galaxy-Eyes trying to kill him, his face was slightly scratched from all the sand. Everybody looked at him with wide eyes of worry, Vector included. But he merely chuckled and said, "Tadaima."

Then he fell to his knees and started falling down. Fortunately, Misael caught him and picked him up. "The fool," he said.

"At least he's alive," Alit pointed out, giving Misael a soft punch to the shoulder.

Nasch looked at the card in Durbe's tiny hand. "A Number that's not from the original hundred," he observed. He turned to Vector. "Looks like you were right on the button for once, Vector," he said. "Cards that exceed the original Hundred Numbers. Over-Hundred Numbers. We may have a chance at victory yet." He looked back down to Durbe, who looked so peaceful sleeping, none of the Barians had the heart to disturb him. "Get some sleep, you little rascal. Looks to me like you earned it."

(In the Numbers Realm)

Glorious Halo watched his master as he slept through a Baria Crystal. "**You know me better than anybody, Master,**" he said, fingering the crystal slowly. "**After all, I am you."**

Glorious Halo then felt a nose brush against his back. Turning, he found that Number 44: Sky Pegasus was nuzzling him. "**Don't worry, Sky Pegasus,**" Glorious Halo said, stroking his nose. "**He shall remember you. And when the time is right, he shall call you in battle, just like he had done in the past.**" He turned his head back to the crystal. "**I was born to house all his past memories from his time as a Knight. That is the reason I took on this form. In time, the memories within me shall beckon him to find you. That shall cause him to awaken again. Being the curious soul he is, I have no doubt that he shall struggle to find out what those memories mean, and he shall become our master again. I know it."**

As this conversation reached its end, Durbe dreamt of flying horses and silver-clad knights.

* * *

*: Number 102: Holy Lightning - Glorious Halo in Japanese.

**D.T.B:** **Did you enjoy that? Did my theory make any sense to you? If not, feel free to kill me. But beware, I have a nasty dragon by my side. **

**Oh, yeah, one question: If Durbe and Misael got caught up in a duel against one another, which one would win? **


End file.
